Regions are ill-prepared for more autonomy: Expert
Regions are ill-prepared for more autonomy: Expert
JAKARTA (JP): Most regional administrations in Indonesia are
poorly prepared to accept greater autonomy from the central
government, an expert on public administration warns.
Soehardjo, a professor on public administration at the
Diponegoro University in Semarang, West Java, puts it down to the
poor quality of councilors at regency and mayoralty levels.
The government has announced plans to give greater autonomy to
the regions, in particular to the second-level administrations
which deal directly with the people.
Soehardjo, who teaches at the university's law school, said
that it is up to the members of the local legislative assemblies
(DPRD II) to seize the initiative and opportunity presented by
the granting of greater autonomy.
Greater autonomy means that more initiatives are expected from
these councilors, he said as quoted by the Antara news agency.
Given that these councilors owe their allegiance more to their
parties' headquarters in Jakarta, they are unlikely to be able to
think independently, he added.
"I don't think the local assemblies are prepared to carry out
regional autonomy because their members still put their
organizations first before the interest of the region," he said.
Granting autonomy to the regions has long been mandatory but
its implementation has been delayed.
The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to begin pilot projects on
the matter at 26 second-level administrations (DATI II) during
the 1995/96 fiscal year which begins next April 1.
The announcement came during a debate among government
officials about the qualifications of the regents needed to carry
out the greater regional autonomy.
State Minister of Administrative Reform T.B. Silalahi sparked
the debate when he suggested that if the post were to be filled
by someone from the military, it should at least be someone of
the rank of brigadier general, because the person would have the
necessary experience and seniority to push through the autonomy.
Other officials quickly pointed out however that a regent is a
political appointment and that one's rank does not count.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, which processes the selection of
regents, said while ranks do not carry much weight, it has been a
tradition that the post of regents are filled by someone of
either colonel or brigadier general ranks if they come from the
military or someone of grade IVA if they come from the civil
service.
Fray
The Indonesian Democratic Party joined in the fray by pointing
out that technically, a regent is elected by the local assemblies
so that ranks do not matter at all.
Soehardjo however pointed out that what matters more is not
the regent, but the quality of the local assemblies.
The assemblies are the ones which draw up the policies for
their respective regions which should be executed by the local
administrations, Soehardjo said.
This means that the assembly members must possess certain
qualities such as knowing the true potentials of the region that
could be exploited in support of development, he added.
Most assembly members, he said, do not have these qualities
that if more autonomy is given. They simply would not be able to
come up with initiatives, said the senior member of the Central
Java chapter of Golkar, the ruling party.
Soehardjo said the political parties have the obligation of
fielding truly qualified people, ones who could truly advance the
region, as their representatives at the local assemblies.
He also proposed that the government strengthen the personnel
of the regional development planning boards (Bappeda) because
they are expected to formulate the concepts once the regions are
given greater autonomy. (emb)